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Treated properly terracotta will provide for a beautiful floor which will be hard wearing, warm, stain resistant and extremely easy to maintain.
Unfortunately this natural clay product is often poorly prepared prior to sealing and ,and even if the correct preparation of the terracotta has been carried out the wrong type of terracotta seal will have been applied .In most cases either the floor tiler will have coated the terracotta with the wrong system or you may have treated the terracotta yourself using products supplied by the retailer.
The wrong type of seal will lead to problems early on, sometimes after only six months of the floor being laid.
Most commonly the following Inappropriate floor ‘seals’ (infact they are mostly intended as polishes and do not act as effective seals) are used in an attempt to seal terracotta do you recognise your problem here?
The Wrong Types of Floor 'Seals'
|
Product/System |
Stain Resistance |
Wear |
Longevity |
Ease Of Cleaning |
|
Linseed oil and wax |
Stains easily. Attracts dirt and grime leading to rapid unsightly dark discoloration especially in grout lines. Is completely non resistant against fat and solvent staining. |
Poor |
6 months to 1 yearWill require frequent rewaxing to maintain. |
Difficult. Mopping will quickly erode floor finish and lead to further deteriation of terracotta tiles. |
|
Emulsified polishes |
Stains easily. |
Wears off rapidly especially in high traffic areas. |
These products do not penetrate the terracotta and only coat the top surface leading to the terracotta become patchy within months. Attempts to re coat will fail to resolve problem. |
Difficult.Mopping will quickly erode floor finish and lead to further deteriation of terracotta tiles |
There are many other’ branded’ products marketed as terracotta floor ‘seals’ which simply do not live up to expectations and create a lot of time and expense in rectifying later on.
We have tried and tested just about every terracotta tile seal on the market and we remain convinced that our specialised seal is the best alternative giving you the qualities you would expect.
Our Product- Recommended Floor Seal
| Stain Resistance |
Wear |
Longevity |
Ease of Cleaning |
|
Resists water,oil,fats etc |
Excellent |
10 to 20 years+ (depending on care and traffic) |
Excellent. Simply mop over with detergent and water. The cleaning process will not erode the floor seal. |
Our Solution to Your Problem Floor
Newly laid untreated Terracotta
This is the easiest situation since there will be no old polishes and ineffective seals to remove. We will simply treat any salt residues before applying 3 coats of our specialist terracotta floor seal.
Restoration of Previously treated Terracotta
 Firstly it is imperative that as much of the old finish as possible is removed. The floor must be thoroughly stripped and deep cleaned prior to re- sealing using our product.
We will need to establish the type (or types) as sometimes different seals and polishes have been laid over the years of your floor finish which exists we can then select the most efficient solvent to remove it .
 In most cases we will be able to chemically remove your existing floor finish and treat any staining and marks that will have occurred due to the ineffectiveness of your floor seal.
All resulting contaminates e.g. the dissolved seal and dirt are collected in machinery that scrubs, dries and vacuums the terracotta tiles.
When we are satisfied that we have achieved the best results possible- preferably by returning the terracotta to its natural state, then we allow a sufficient drying time (10 days average) before applying 2/3 coats of our specialist terracotta floor tile seal.
The newly laid seal will not only protect the floor but will also enhance the natural colours and shades of your terracotta.
Quarry Tiles
 Although made up of clay and Similar in composition to terracotta, quarry tiles the tiles are normally thinner, denser and far less porous than their terracotta relatives.
Old quarry tiles will probably have been subjected to years of foot traffic, in ground grime and dirt, in addition the quarry tiles may have been covered with linoleum or bitumen, or they may have cementations stains, glue in fact a whole host of problems.
 We have dealt with just about every conceivable restoration project and The Floor Restoration Company has managed to restore and revive quarry floors that the owners thought impossible.
Our techniques in restoring your quarry floor will in general follow those described under terracotta above. Once again we will endeavour to remove all surface contaminates prior to resealing the quarry tiles.
The types of floor seal we use will depend upon 2 important factors a/The tiles porosity and b/Whether or not there is an under floor damp course installed.
Once again the application of the wrong type of floor sea/polish will cause problems in the future.
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